


On the Dot

by intricate_glass_box



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Angst, Emotional torment, Guilt, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, sportarobbie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 16:25:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8851879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intricate_glass_box/pseuds/intricate_glass_box
Summary: Sportacus has a reason for going to bed at 8:08 beyond just getting a good night’s sleep, and he wishes he did not.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was trying to write fluff (which is posted! I did go back to that) and then this idea came to me. I don’t even headcanon it; I guess I just wanted mutual torment.

Sportacus always told the kids that he went to bed at 8:08 on the dot. It didn’t seem odd to them because that was a reasonable time for kids their age to go to bed, and it didn’t seem odd to the adults because, well, he was Sportacus. They assumed he was either telling a white lie to encourage healthy habits in the kids, or he really did go to bed at 8:08 - he did things to specificity or extreme on the regular. 

The second statement was correct. Sportacus really did go to bed at 8:08, but he knew that was slightly absurdly early for an adult. But, it was necessitated he start then to get a sufficient rest because his crystal woke him up a few times or for a few hours on most nights. 

The first time it had done this - around one AM - was within the first week he lived over LazyTown. Back then, Sportacus hung his clothes in a closet towards the front of his airship. In the places he’d lived before, there’d never been trouble at night, but now the crystal told him that someone was in trouble, and pulled him toward their location… somewhere in the northeast of town? 

Of course, he was Sportacus, and he was always ready to help someone! He sprang out of bed, especially worried due to the hour. He wasn’t entirely acquainted with the town yet and didn’t know if there was a “bad part” and thus didn’t know what to expect. He slid into the pilot seat and pedaled hard.

As he approached, he realized the crystal was pulling him to… Robbie, was it? Robbie Rotten? Robbie’s lair, just out of town. At this time, he didn’t know Robbie so well. The only thing he DID know was that Robbie did NOT like him. In that short week, he’d already tried to run him out of town, twice. It hurt Sportacus’ feelings to be so immediately and completely rejected and shut out, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him from helping! Sportacus wanted to be his friend, anyway - he’d been thinking maybe if he could show him he wasn’t trying to antagonize him they could go from there. 

Carefully, Sportacus jumped down his ladder. He circled behind the billboard and saw a hatch. _This must be the entrance?_ Sportacus wondered. He pulled it open rather than waste time looking for another way, and jumped in. He didn’t want to waste any time. 

Sportacus felt himself falling faster and faster down what resembled a metal tube slide. He folded his arms on his chest and remained prepared for whatever the slide might open into. Seconds later, he spilled out into a cavernous room, and slid to a halt just before Robbie Rotten, sitting in a bright orange chair. His eyes were red and his hair was a mess, probably due to his hands which were knotted in it. He looked harrowed, staring at Sportacus in an almost-deranged and incredulous way, and when Sportacus looked closer in the gloom, his face was wet with tears. For a long several seconds, all that was heard was Robbie’s ragged breathing. 

“Robbie, are you- are you okay?” Sportacus asked, not knowing where else to start. He didn’t know his crystal would react to emotional peril. He could save a kitten from a tree or catch a falling townsperson, but this? He didn’t know what to do. But he felt twisted up inside, a sharp and deep-seated desire to figure out how to help. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! HOW DID YOU FIND OUT WHERE I LIVE?!” Robbie screamed, his voice hoarse. Sportacus, still on the floor, scrambled backwards a bit.

“Oh- well, my crystal-“

“YOUR CRYSTAL?! DOES YOUR CRYSTAL GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO BREAK INTO MY HOUSE?” 

“I’m sorry - I just, I wanted to help -“

“Just GO AWAY! I _don’t want you here!_ ” He stood up, walking towards Sportacus. For a second Sportacus was afraid he’d be attacked, but then Robbie stopped and let out a sob. He immediately covered his face with one hand and turned partially away, but it was clear he was going back down. His face got redder as his breathing quickened to hyperventilation. “Get OUT!” He tried to yell again, but it came out broken and pleading. 

Sportacus scrambled out, finding a ladder parallel to the chute, brain whirling. The further away he got, the worse he felt. He hadn’t saved anyone. He’d made everything worse. But he couldn’t go back. Robbie really did hate him, and who could blame him? Sportacus had shown up and taken away everything he liked, not that he’d meant to. And now… well, Sportacus didn’t even know what was wrong, but it was bad enough that his crystal had gone off, and there he was scrambling up to the surface as fast as he could go, leaving Robbie alone with his demons. 

He spilled out into the night air, under the silent moon and stars and cloud cover. 

His crystal still flashed quietly. It was the first time Sportacus had ever failed to save someone. 

The next day, he did not see Robbie at all. Sportacus hoped he was alright. That whatever was wrong - and he felt guilt tear at him at the fact that he hadn’t found out - had subsided. But the next night, his crystal again woke him. His first thought was an overwhelming relief that Robbie was still alive… and he’d gotten out of bed before he remembered the look on Robbie’s face and the hatred in his tone when he’d screamed for Sportacus to get out. 

He flew his airship above Robbie’s lair and circled it, far above so there was no chance Robbie could see him, to make sure that was where his crystal wanted him to go. But he knew he wasn’t wanted.

It was the first time Sportacus had ever ignored a sign from his crystal. 

As it went on, Sportacus grew ever-more concerned. He couldn’t talk to anyone about it, of course… that would be a violation of Robbie’s privacy, and he didn’t know how to ask for help. He’d never needed to before.

So, he started going to bed at 8:08 to prepare for the excursions. Every other night in a good stretch but up to three times a night at worse, he’d be woken up, be overcome by a feeling of helplessness and dread, and fly to the northeasternmost corner of LazyTown. (He always had to go to the lair until it stopped beeping. He had to.) And he never let anyone know how much it wore on him, not being able to help.


End file.
